There were 10 quarterbacks selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Through Week 7 of the regular season, none of them have started a game this year.
The only rookie QB to start for his team in '26 is the Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels. The undrafted former Kansas star went 1-2 filling in for an injured Baker Mayfield.
With the Raiders already through 7 games, Fernando Mendoza is trending toward becoming the first No. 1 overall pick at quarterback to start fewer than half of his team's games as a rookie since Jared Goff, who made only 7 starts with the Rams in 2016.
But how long will Las Vegas go against the recent trend? Although minority owner Tom Brady and coach Klint Kubiak were hoping to sit Mendoza behind Kirk Cousins as long as possible, it would be shocking if Mendoza doesn't make any starts. The last No. 1 pick who didn't take a rookie snap was Carson Palmer for the Bengals in 2003.
It's not surprising that the other first-round QB from '26, Ty Simpson, isn't starting ahead of reigning MVP Matthew Stafford for the Rams. But the calls for three of next four QBs drafted — Carson Beck, Cade Klubnik and Cole Payton — will get louder in the second half of the season.
Daniels and Commanders' seventh-rounder Athan Kaliakmanis were thrust into the first rookie QB action as necessary injury fill-ins. Mendoza made his debut with mop-up duty in New England in Week 5. Here's an updated projection, however, of when Mendoza, Beck, Klubnik and Payton might start for their teams as rookies.
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When should these rookie QBs start in 2026?
Fernando Mendoza, Raiders (first round)
Although Kubiak opened the door to reevaluate "everything" after the Raiders' freefall to 3-4 from a 3-0 start, he's not pointing to a needed change at quarterback as a source for a spark. Cousins keeps playing well as the run defense and running game are most to blame for their four-game losing streak.
That said, the Raiders are headed in the wrong direction from AFC playoff contention. The next five games are at the Jets, at the 49ers, vs. the Seahawks, at the Broncos and at the Browns. With that upcoming slate, it would be surprising if the Raiders are better than 4-8 going into their Week 13 bye.
Cousins is fine to keep playing when Las Vegas still has legitimate wild-card hopes. But Kubiak should consider taking an extended look at Mendoza before Year 2. From Week 14, the Raiders have three consecutive home games and also get the Titans and Cardinals before what might be a resting Chiefs team in Week 18. That sets up Mendoza for a good finish so he can build momentum into his second season, when he presumably starts in Week 1.
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Carson Beck, Cardinals (third round)
Jacoby Brissett is once again passing for high volume with a league-leading 282 attempts. Arizona is still throwing at a 62 percent clip under new coach Mike LaFleur after calling pass plays a league-high 66 percent of the time last season.
Brissett, however, is down to 5.6 yards per attempt. The field-stretching is gone with too much reliance on tight end Trey McBride. The Cardinals are also 2-5 with little chance to make the playoffs coming out of the tough NFC West. The Cardinals don't have a long-term passing solution with Brissett under contract only through this season.
Beck had a strong offseason of work and deserves a shot to see if he can be that answer. The former Miami and Georgia star has a big arm and would be more aggressive in pushing the ball downfield for LaFleur. The Cardinals don't have their bye until Week 14, but that would be too long of a wait before Beck gets his chance.
The Cardinals have tough back-to-back road games at Dallas and Seattle. They finish the next month at home in a Rams rematch before playing in Kansas City.
Throwing Beck into one of those matchups against trickier defenses after the Cowboys game makes little sense. Week 12 at home vs. the Commanders makes sense, before hosting the Eagles and then the bye. The Jets, Saints and Raiders are the three interdivision opponents after the bye. That is a reasonable stretch for Beck to deliver some passing positives and help Arizona determine whether he should have a shot at starting in 2027.
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Cade Klubnik, Jets (fourth round)
Geno Smith is difficult to bench at the moment for the 2-5 Jets. Their AFC playoff hopes are fading fast in the potential near-finish of the Aaron Glenn tenure, but Smith has been a bright spot, helping to stabilize the offense and boost the young playmakers.
At some point, however, whether offensive coordinator Frank Reich takes over for Glenn in the interim or not, the Jets need to see Klubnik in games that count. Smith, like Brissett, is signed only through 2026. Klubnik, a Clemson product, played so well in offseason practice work that he earned the top backup job.
As long as Glenn is the coach, he will feel that Smith gives the team its best chance to win games. First is a "revenge" outing vs. the Raiders in Week 8, followed by much tougher games at the Chiefs and vs. the Bills. Then the Jets play the also-ran Chargers and Dolphins on the road in Weeks 11 and 12.
New York officials should think about starting Klubnik then, ahead of a Week 13 bye, so he can get settled for the stretch run.
The Jets are trending toward taking a QB high in the 2027 draft, but like the Cardinals, it would be smart to fully evaluate a promising rookie first.
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Cole Payton, Eagles (fifth round)
The Eagles have gone 0-2 with Tanner McKee starting. They are relying on a pocket-passing quarterback behind a reshuffled offensive line, an injury-riddled wide receiver corps and a running back group that can't keep anyone healthy, either. At 2-5, with Philadelphia's defense not doing the offense any favors, the season looks like a lost campaign for Nick Sirianni's team.
McKee will be a free agent in 2027. The team elevated former Cowboy and Patriot Joe Milton III to No. 2 before the Monday night game vs. Dallas and designated Payton as the emergency third quarterback. Conventional wisdom would say Milton gets the next shot if McKee struggles more to move the ball efficiently. But Payton is the only of the three who offers the running dimension that's been missing without Jalen Hurts.
Payton rushed for 777 yards and 13 TDs in his final season at North Dakota State. He also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds at the Combine. The Eagles must use this season to figure out whether Payton can be the ideal long-term backup to Hurts, much like Tyler Huntley is the Ravens' best No. 2 for Lamar Jackson.
With the Eagles fading out of the NFC playoff picture, they need to look more to the future. Part of that is being sellers at the trade deadline. Another part is evaluating young talent. Really, they should give Payton a shot now, but it's more realistic that he gets a chance to start at some point after the Week 10 bye.
